hmarandola

hmarandola specializes in Newborn Intensive Care Unit.

Latest Activity

1. How is pain treated in your NICU? (Particularly on HFOV or SIMV)

   hmarandola replied to hmarandola's topic in NICU

   Thanks for your input Steve!!! We definitely are trying to advocate for our babies. That's why everyone's responses are valuable to us!

2. How is pain treated in your NICU? (Particularly on HFOV or SIMV)

   hmarandola replied to hmarandola's topic in NICU

   We don't consider ativan as a "Pain reliever" but generally believe it helps their discomfort by relieving "anxiety". Their innate fear does seem to agitate the babies, often resulting in an unstable kid. It's so hard to define pain in a neonate, l...

3. How is pain treated in your NICU? (Particularly on HFOV or SIMV)

   hmarandola posted a topic in NICU

   In my NICU the nurses are getting frustrated with docs who are resisting our push to prescribe Ativan and Morphine for little ones on vents. There is a group of docs who rotate through from a tertiary NICU nearby and they are now convinced, through ...

4. After 3 1/2 hours of interviewing...

   hmarandola replied to Tiny1Nisolet's topic in NICU

   Sorry---in California an Interim Permit (IP) is a temporary license that costs $30 extra. They do not allow a grace period for graduates to work unless they have an IP. And the IP is good for up to 6 mos. However, if you take the boards and do no...

5. After 3 1/2 hours of interviewing...

   hmarandola replied to Tiny1Nisolet's topic in NICU

   I think the possibility of taking your boards by June depends on your school. I graduated Dec. Our last final was Dec 5. Our school, however, did not release our transcripts to the board until Jan 5. I know classmates that took their boards as ea...

6. After 3 1/2 hours of interviewing...

   hmarandola replied to Tiny1Nisolet's topic in NICU

   I am thrilled for you! That is a huge NICU! I am starting today as a NEW GRAD RN (My license was posted yesterday ). My NICU is also level III and is 59 beds. I thought that was big. I precepted in a NICU that was 27 beds and at the time I thou...

7. My First Day....NERVOUS!!!!

   hmarandola replied to ladydame's topic in NICU

   Tonight is my first evening on my NICU unit as well!! In fact, my license just got posted yesterday and I spent the day in a cloud because I am a "Real Nurse"!!! I am very nervous too and thought it may be nice to touch base afterwards and support ea...

8. NICU here I come...

   hmarandola replied to Tiny1Nisolet's topic in NICU

   Congrats!!! I am just wrapping up my preceptorship in a Level III ICN in California. I absolutely loved it and they want to hire me! I hope you have a wonderful experience! Merenstein & Gardner is the perfect book to read... Heather

9. No New Grads !

   hmarandola replied to mommy2BCD's topic in NICU

   Hi all! I just finished my very last final!! Am now a BSN waiting to sit for my boards!! I was able to do my senior preceptorship (unpaid) in a Level III Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) here in California. Basically we had to complete 224 hours with ...

10. Class of 2005 Checking In!

    hmarandola replied to KristinWW's topic in General Students

    Heidi, I am sorry for your loss. I admire your strengh and desire to work in the NICU. You can offer those parents understanding because you have experienced what they are experiencing. If you'd like to share with me, tell me about your son. What...

11. Class of 2005 Checking In!

    hmarandola replied to KristinWW's topic in General Students

    Love to all the class of 2005! I am in a BSN program and we are considered "Junior 1". Next semester we will be "junior 2" and then "Senior 1" and so on! Looking so forward to May 2005!!! So far our class is sticking with the program. Once we fi...

12. HELP! Schools?

    hmarandola replied to ninamarie77's topic in NICU

    Once you finish your BSN/RN at a nursing school in Florida (or wherever you are led) you can check out the Master's program at UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) They have a Neonatal Nurse Practicioner Program. The address is below but ...

13. Northern Calif Roll Call

    hmarandola replied to Spidey's mom's topic in California

    This forum is a welcome addition! I am a first semester Junior in a BSN program in Oakland, CA. We start putting hands on patients this semester and tomorrow I will start my Mental Health Clinical at a hospital in Berkeley. My stomach is very unse...

14. More Strange Baby Names

    hmarandola replied to RNLaborNurse4U's topic in Ob/Gyn

    My oldest daughter's name is not so unusual anymore: Gianna (Gee-ah-nah) but I rarely hear my youngest daughter's name anywhere else: Gracen (Gray-sen). I liked the name Grace but thought it was a bit oldfashioned. I had heard of the name Grayson ...

15. Scholarships?

    hmarandola replied to flaced's topic in General Students

    Dear Flaced, Are you at a Community College or 4-year program? I did my prereq's at my local Community College and they had a WONDERFUL transfew program and scholarship office. They did workshops for scholarships and had all local scholarships on t...